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Background/Aim. There is growing evidence suggesting that high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is a reliable biomarker in patients with hypertension. While the relation-ship between hypertension and age is well established, the connection between hs-CRP and age remains unclear. The aim of the study was to determine a relationship between hs-CRP and age, body mass index (BMI), and blood pressure in middle-aged people. Methods. This cross-sectional survey was conducted in Shanghai, China, and it included data from 1,677 healthy male participants aged 18 to 50 years and 1,127 healthy female participants aged 19 to 49 years recruited during routine health examinations. The hs-CRP, BMI, systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were recorded. Results. The participants were first separated into four age quartile groups, in which an increase in BMI, SBP, and DBP was observed but not in hs-CRP. Afterward, the participants were divided into four hs-CRP quartile groups, in which an increase in BMI, SBP, and DBP was noted, but not in age. Finally, using Pearson correlation, positive correlations were found between hs-CRP, BMI, SBP, and DBP, but no correlation was discovered between age and hs-CRP. Conclusion. The authors showed that age is likely a confounding factor that correlates with SBP, DBP, and BMI, but it does not directly correlate with hs-CRP.

ObjectiveTo study the composition and concentration of atmospheric particulate pollutants in four seasons in the industrial and clean living areas， and to provide a scientific basis for the strategy of controlling industrial pollution and atmospheric environment.MethodsAn industrial area dominated by the automobile industry in Shanghai and a relatively clean living area were selected. Samples were collected simultaneously in both areas and continuously for 7 days in the middle of each season. The composition and concentration of PM2.5 were determined， and the ecological risk of heavy metals in PM2.5 was evaluated by the potential ecological risk index method.ResultsWe found PM2.5 concentration was associated with seasonal changes. The PM2.5 concentration in living areas was the highest in winter， followed by spring， and the lowest in summer. The PM2.5 concentration in industrial areas was the highest in spring， followed by winter， and the lowest in summer. The heavy metals in PM2.5 were the same， including Al， Cr， Mn， Ni， As， Cd， Hg and Pb. The content of Cr， Cd and Pb in PM2.5 in the industrial area is significantly higher than that in the living area. The potential ecological hazard coefficient of PM2.5 heavy metal Cd in the industrial zone was the highest， up to 189.47， and it was the main component of the total potential ecological hazard index of heavy metals. According to the total potential risk grade of heavy metals， the heavy metal Cd in the industrial area had different degrees of ecological harm with seasonal changes. The ecological harm degree of heavy metal Cd was the highest in winter， high in spring and autumn， and low in summer.ConclusionAlthough the concentration of PM2.5 in the industrial area is not higher than that in the living area， the content of Cr， Cd and Pb in the PM2.5 in the industrial area is significantly higher than that in the living area. The concentration of PM2.5 in the industrial area is mainly related to seasons， industrial production and human factors. The potential ecological harm coefficient of heavy metal Cd in PM2.5 is the highest in comparison with other heavy metals such as Cr， Hg and Pb， and it is the main component of the total potential ecological harm index of heavy metals.

Purpose: Elevated urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) is an established risk factor for microvascular disease in the general population. However, it is unclear whether UACR is associated with arterial stiffness in diabetes. We aimed to assess the relationship between UACR levels and the risk of arterial stiffness in patients with diabetes. Methods: From July 2021 to February 2023, a total of 1039 participants were assessed for the risk of arterial stiffness, which was evaluated by brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV). The value of UACR≥ 30 mg/g was defined as high UACR. The UACR level had an abnormal distribution and was log2-transformed for analyses to reduce skewness and volatility. High baPWV was evaluated as categorical variables divided by the highest quartile of the values by sex. The relationship between UACR and arterial stiffness was analyzed by linear curve fitting analyses. Multiple logistic regression models were used to analyze the crude and adjusted odds ratio (OR) of UACR for high baPWV with 95% confidence interval (CI). In addition to applying non-adjusted and multivariate-adjusted models, interaction and stratified analyses were also carried out. Results: The baPWV level was significantly higher in the high UACR group compared with that in the normal UACR group (1861.84 ± 439.12 cm/s vs 1723.13 ± 399.63 cm/s, p< 0.001). Adjusted smoothed plots suggested that there are linear relationships between log2-transformed UACR and high baPWV, and Spearman correlation coefficient was 0.226 (0.176– 0.276, p< 0.001). The OR (95% CI) between log2-transformed UACR and high baPWV were 1.26 (1.19– 1.33, p< 0.001), and 1.16 (1.08– 1.25, p< 0.001) respectively in diabetic patients before and after adjusting for potential confounders. Conclusion: The elevated UACR was associated with arterial stiffness in Chinese patients with diabetes. Plain Language Summary: 1. The mean baPWV level was significantly higher in the high UACR group compared with that in the normal UACR group.2. The sex-specific hierarchical analysis revealed that baPWV levels and the incidence of high baPWV were significantly elevated with increased UACR.3. Curvilinear relationships between log2-transformed UACR and the risk of high baPWV.4. Positive association between UACR and high baPWV in patients with diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Lead is a common industrial toxicant and has been proved to be associated with the kidney damage. Objective: To investigate the effect and mechanism of lead on expression of rat renal interstitial fibroblast activation related protein. Materials and methods: The expression of activation related protein mRNA was measured by real-time PCR in the NRK/49F treated by lead acetate with different concentrations (0, 0.5, 1 and 2 µmol/L). The effects of lead acetate on the level of fibronectin (FN) and signal transduction factors (Smads protein) expression were observed by Western blot. Results: The mRNA expression of activation-related protein increased significantly after the cells were stimulated by lead acetate for 24 h. The lead acetate-treated group could upregulate the p-Smad2, p-Smad3 and FN protein expression compared with the control group. The level of Smad2/3 protein expression did not change in all groups, the expression of SnoN decreased significantly compared with the control group. Discussion and conclusion: Lead acetate could increase the mRNA expression of activation-related factors. It could promote inflammatory reaction induced by TGF-β via Smad signaling pathway. Lead acetate has the effect on inducing the renal fibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic occult lead poisoning often develops ensuing occupational lead exposure. Early diagnosis of lead poisoning is critical for timely discontinuation of lead exposure and for prognosis. This study explored the value of urinary kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) in diagnosing renal injury induced by lead at an early stage. We retrospectively analyzed 92 workers exposed to occupational lead and demonstrated a better correlation ship between blood lead levels and urine excretion of KIM-1 than other traditional renal injury biomarkers following creatinine adjustment. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of the ability of diverse biomarkers for predicting kidney injury in lead-exposed workers demonstrated that the order of predicting accuracy of the studied biomarkers is as follows: urinary KIM-1-to-creatinine ratio > urinary N-acetyl-β-(D)-glucosaminidase-to-creatinine ratio > urinary β2-microglobulin-to-creatinine ratio > urinary α1-microglobulin-to-creatinine ratio, with the Youden index being 16.59 ng/g, 14.01 U/g, 0.15 mg/g, and 4.63 mg/g, respectively. Collectively, our findings suggest that short-period occupational lead exposure may cause injury of renal tubules. Urinary excretion of KIM-1 correlates with blood lead levels better than other traditional renal injury biomarkers, including N-acetyl-β-(D)-glucosaminidase, α1-microglobulin, and β2-microglobulin. Longitudinal surveillance of urinary KIM-1 may aid for early diagnosis of renal tubular injury in workers with occupational lead exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest The authors declare no conflict of interest.

There have been relatively few opportunities to examine the cardiovascular effects of an extreme air pollution event in China. We aimed to examine the impact of the 2013 Eastern China Smog occurring from 2 to 9 December 2013, on outpatient visits for coronary heart diseases (CHD) in a typical hospital in Shanghai, China. We used the over-dispersed, generalized additive model to estimate the relative risk (RR) of the 2013 Eastern China Smog on the outpatient visits by comparing the smog period (2-9 December 2013; 8 days) to the non-smog period (1 November-1 December 2013, and 10 December-28 February 2014; 112 days). This model also controlled for time trends, days of the week, holidays, and meteorological factors. A stratification analysis was performed to estimate sex- and age-specific RRs. The daily average PM2.5 (fine particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm) concentrations during the smog period were 212 μg/m³, which were three times higher than during the non-smog period (76 μg/m³). The smog in Eastern China in 2013 was significantly associated with an increased risk of outpatient visits for CHD. For example, the RR was 1.18 (95% CI: 1.04, 1.32) on lag 0 day. There were similar effects on males and females. Our analyses provided preliminary evidence that smog constituted a significant risk factor of CHD in China.

Background: Cardiac arrhythmias are cardiac rhythm disorders that comprise an important public health problem. Few prior studies have examined the association between ambient air pollution and arrhythmias in general populations in mainland China., Methods: We performed a time-series analysis to investigate the short-term association between air pollution (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than 10 µm [PM10], sulfur dioxide [SO2], and nitrogen dioxide [NO2]) and outpatient visits for arrhythmia in Shanghai, China. We applied the over-dispersed Poisson generalized additive model to analyze the associations after control for seasonality, day of the week, and weather conditions. We then stratified the analyses by age, gender, and season., Results: We identified a total of 56 940 outpatient visits for cardiac arrhythmia. A 10-µg/m3 increase in the present-day concentrations of PM10, SO2, and NO2 corresponded to increases of 0.56% (95% CI 0.42%, 0.70%), 2.07% (95% CI 1.49%, 2.64%), and 2.90% (95% CI 2.53%, 3.27%), respectively, in outpatient arrhythmia visits. The associations were stronger in older people (aged ≥65 years) and in females. This study provides the first evidence that ambient air pollution is significantly associated with increased risk of cardiac arrhythmia in mainland China., Conclusions: Our analyses provide evidence that the current air pollution levels have an adverse effect on cardiovascular health and strengthened the rationale for further limiting air pollution levels in the city.